Deshaun Watson is rehabbing from another injury, this time a ruptured Achilles tendon, and for the first time since acquiring him in a trade in 2022, general manager Andrew Berry did not say Watson will be the Browns’ quarterback next season. next season.

Berry isn’t abandoning Watson, who in three seasons has played in six, six and seven games, often disappointingly, but during a bye week press conference on Nov. 6 he would only say that the return to health of Watson is the first priority.

“Really our focus with Deshaun, I would say for any player with a season-ending injury and a major injury, is first and foremost recovery and making sure he recovers from the Achilles injury. We will address everything else later.”

Watson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury on November 12, 2023, in a game with the Ravens. Berry reacted to the shoulder injury by saying that a full recovery was expected and that Watson would be the starter in 2024.

#Browns General manager Andrew Berry won’t hesitate to trade for Deshaun Watson in 2022. He won’t talk about next season either. pic.twitter.com/WkQTr6eCY2

—Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) November 6, 2024

Watson was the main focus of the press conference that lasted about 25 minutes. Berry did not answer directly when asked if the idea of ​​trading six draft picks to the Texans in March 2022 was Berry’s or if it was a mandate from team owner Jimmy Haslam. Three of the draft picks sent to Houston were first-rounders. On April 24, the Browns, 2-7, will make a first-round pick for the first time since 2021.

“I would say this: As we’ve always said, we were all on board,” Berry said. “Everyone was on board and obviously with great commitment in that regard, that will always be the case.”

When asked, “Is there a world where Deshaun Watson can come back here and play more football for you?” Berry’s response was brief:

“Yes, I think that is always possible.”

Watson has never been embraced by Browns fans during his time in Cleveland. Part of that is the luggage he brought with him from Houston; More than two dozen massage therapists accused him of sexual misconduct in 2020 and 2021, leading the NFL to suspend him for the first 11 games of 2022 with the Browns. The other part is that he hasn’t won. He is 9-10 as a starter for the Browns.

Watson was booed when the offense was introduced before the game against the Bengals on Oct. 20 at Huntington Bank Field. Some fans applauded when he suffered the Achilles tendon injury in the second quarter of that game.

Berry made it clear that any decisions he makes regarding the Browns will not be governed by fan reaction.

“First and foremost, we love our fans,” Berry said. “We know they are passionate and love the team.

“As we make organizational decisions, it will always be within what we believe is best for the franchise. Some of them will be popular. Some of them will be unpopular, but that’s really the way we’re going to handle it.”

There are two years left on the five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract Watson signed in 2022. He will earn $46 million each year and has a salary cap hit of approximately $73 million each year due to salary restructuring for each of the first three years of his career. contract.